For her Fall collection Olga Vilshenko was inspired by the work of Ukrainian artist Yelena Yemchuk. “I like her dark romanticism,” she said. Yemchuk is both a photographer and a skilled painter; her series of watercolors The Dream Readers has humans wearing rabbit or zebra masks and engaging in twirling dances. They exude a slight erotic subtext. “They look delicate and childish, but they’re quite provocative,” mused the designer.

Vilshenko had Yemchuk’s drawings translated into surrealistic, lovely prints, gracing silk jacquard bicolor dresses with black or turquoise backgrounds; they were cut loose, with tiered, flowing lines. Dresses are the designer’s forte and every season she works on updating shapes and prints with a gentle hand. There’s always a hint of the ’70s in her style, with a gentle bohemian spirit.

Yet despite the bohemia, Vilshenko’s approach to design is quite practical; her collections are always punctuated by everyday outerwear propositions. Fall was no exception. She introduced faux fur as a playful texture for a belted tiger-print robe-coat and a soft leopard-print jacket. A bomber with blue zebra motifs had oversize proportions in a nod to modern street style. Fair Isle intarsia knits looked cheerful in a bright shade of raspberry. They nicely complemented Vilshenko’s signature long, flowing dresses, where flame red poppies bloomed and little girls wearing bunny headdresses played ball in the garden.